Posts Categorized: The Process

It’s been a few weeks since FRO’s been back to her curly kinky glory, and if I were to be honest – a large part of me breathed a huge sigh of relief after that first wash…watching & waiting as the sleek straight strands shrunk away to leave me with what I’ve sooooo grown to love. Yes, straight hair has it’s perks (ponytail central….!!), but clearly the fun for me all lies in the ebb and flow of whichever direction my curls go. I’s so happy.

I’ve been dabbling in a few new hair goodies + sticking to, I guess what you’d call an old favorite; Camille Rose really is my hair’s ish. We’re pic heavy today because we are simply loving this entire combo right here:

Changes that we love? The ‘scalp situation’ is miraculously under CONTROL!! FRO has officially fallen head over for a women named Camille (will share full deets in another post!), & sealants/smoothers are (and should be) BFF’s to every natural haired femme.

Okay, so what hasn’t changed? Our grab and go method of twisting under 2 hours. Proud to say, still doable. Holding onto a bit of length over the past year, so it’s taken a bit of practice to beat the clock. Sadly…and I do kind of mean this emphatically, but much of that ‘length’ must eventually go. In the midst of a crazy work schedule and trying to latch on to remnants of a so-called life, this thing called a ‘trim’ has never materialized. Honestly, 2-3 inches gotta go, and I can’t wait to be rid. Unhealthy ends are a beast to camouflage, get entirely in the way of a proper detangling session…and have seriously caused me to pout once discovering a plethora of single strand bomber knots.

I had a moment last week when I just wasn’t certain if I’d be able to rock a twist-out without clenching a few teeth and shaking a few fists. Weather here on the east coast has been nothing short of suspect: enter in an odd mix of humidity + drizzle rain+ intermittent pouring rain+ humidity. In that order, and you have an idea of what FRO was up against.

But in the end I did, because there are those inevitable days when you do need your hair to give you more LIFE than you normally ask. BIG HAIR deserves its shine every once in a while, yes?

Even if it lasts for only a few hours…and drifts of dewy rain wipe away all of your hard work. You still press on.

This has been the second week using the Jane Carter Curl Cream and so far I’m finding it gives a good amount of moisture (coupled with a leave-in condish underneath). Will experiment to see how it holds up on its own for final review.

I was able to tweet a before and after pic showing FRO’s growth at the end of the day, and truth be told, if you’re not able to smile at the miracle of the ‘POOF’ after combating a long day of humidity and lazy weather, you’re doing something wrong.

The consensus on Facebook is in favor of ‘bunning’ which just might be in this week’s forecast.

Believe it or not this gal has been two-stranding her own growing fro for more than 10 years and still….STILL has not grown tired of said style. Not…that I’ve tried to fall out of love with the time it takes to section, twist, and often air dry. Nope. There really is something fancy about this natural attraction to twisting, and letting Fro be.

To be honest, it must’ve been more about 8 years ago when I noticed that the occasional twisting (protective styling if you will…) is what allowed my hair to maintain it’s natural health and grow in length. Scientifically…there must be a reason for this, yes? Okay…so even if I’m not certain of how it works….I know that it does.

Over the years the actual time it takes to twist has gone down, but the core of what’s stayed the same is my approach. Want longer, healthier natural hair? Find a routine that not just ‘works,’ but delivers you the kind of results that you can enjoy working towards. It is possible. Products may change over the years…but the type of care you give to maintain hair health shouldn’t.

The past few weeks FRO had fun trying new hair goodies and getting familiar with a styler that might be a Summer keeper!

April/May really is the month were the phasing out of heavier stylers takes place, and lighter alternatives to moisturizing come into play. This week after purging the PJ drawer, Jane Carter’s Curl Defining Cream plopped to the surface wanting some attention & it happily showed FRO some love. I’ve used only once, but will use again for complete deets & rundown. The smell of this stuff is pure yum! Have you guys tried? Found the 6 ounce jar in the ailes of Target many moons ago. (….and by the by, have you peeked at the new #naturalhair section at Tarjay!? EPIC)

What are you guys using to transition during the warmer months? A PJ is going shopping soon.

Lately their hasn’t been much time for a woman to do her laundry & cook a home cooked meal, let alone experiment with a new hair style…no matter how simple. But on a whim this week, & ultimately inspired by Natural Chica’s Sideswept video, I put a few dozen bobby pins to good use and found a new style that pretty much rocks!

The plan these days with Fro has basically been an alternation between wearing hair in twists one week, followed by a break/carefree twist-out the following. So far, this plan has done wonders for my length retention (which is crazy these days….) and hair just appears easier to manage. Wash days have improved in terms of timing (widdled down the twisting session to 1hour, no joke) & detangling is more of a breeze (never thought this was possible).

A few weeks ago I dipped into a local BSS and snagged an armful of Deep Condish packs that retail for less than $3 each, and seriously….best decision ever! Full review to come on the Argan Oil Repair Masque, but FRO was luxuriating after this week’s session.

Because the hair has been gaining in length, Fro’s been quietly craving more moisture, or needing ways to hold on to it for a bit longer, so this week I sampled the new line from DAX (yep….THAT DAX), and applied the Bergamont Butter prior to using both main stylers.

Full review to come on the entire new line, but early votes are in & there’s a lot to love! Super soft, touchable hair that feels pretty incredible.

Really enjoyed being a bit more playful with the hair this week, and might even try a few variations.

It’s been forever and a day since I updated you guys on the weekly hair shenanigans (remember those?!). Now, if I were to be honest…I’d have to divulge a bit of truth & say that FRO & I have been winging it as far as when we get down to wash & even what we’ve been using. I won’t even try to blame it on the hustle & bustle of the holiday season. Nope. I’ve simply been chalking it up to ‘bad blogger syndrome,’ & kept it moving. But this week I realized that FRO has really made some significant progress in terms of length & just overall appearance. There were …more than a handful of grey hairs found a few weeks ago on the eve of the big 3-0 (which are sooooo very amusing!), as well as an impromptu length check (bra strap length…!!!). So what have I been doing?

There haven’t been major change made to the routine, except the yearly switch to more winter friendly products that won’t leave FRO parched. The scalp is still numero 1 priority, and adjusting the routine by using a scalp friendly treatment has done wonders. Traditionally I apply the serum in sections, issue a 2-3 minute scalp massage & sit under a heated cap for 15 minutes. Once rinsed, I follow the rest of the Process accordingly.

Last week found me at a holiday party where I did don the twist-out, something I’ve rarely done lately. Definitely one of those gals who does not mind keeping the natural hair under wraps until the occasion calls for it.

I’ve also been battling a pretty nasty cold which grossly morphed into a bad case of bronchitis this week, just the worst. Incubating my life over the past week has been annoying at best. But hopefully back on the mend & should have a couple posts up next week. Lord knows I’v been trying to do a length check vid/post for the longest evah!! But will have to get down to it, because this past week I finally measured in at bra-strap length. That little voice in the mirror hinted that this might be epic…so here’s to bringing you guys actual proof in a non-clutzy maner.

I’ll be updating the FB page with a few more pics this weekend as well, & would love to know how you’re rockin the do this Holiday? Let me know in the comments below or share a pic on the FB Fan Page! Next months marks Back To Curly’s 3 year anniversary & there will be special treats for my FB peeps;)

You've stumbled upon Back To Curly, a blog written & brought to you by me, Chai! I'm a writer, work-body, incessant daydreamer, currently residing in a little nook in Brooklyn. Here you'll find musings on natural hair, beauty tales & so much more. Share a bit here...